Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [64]
Nahton knew that Captain McCammon had always been loyal to Peter, passing messages through the green priest even though it was strictly against the Chairman's wishes. And Sarein was the Queen's sister. Though she had long ago left Theroc, Nahton could not believe that Sarein would betray her own planet, even though he had seen her as the Chairman's apparent ally.
He contemplated confronting the two and demanding answers, but he decided to take their news at face value. He wouldn't put it past the Chairman to launch an ill-advised assault on Theroc. So, he had to find a way to get to the Queen's conservatory.
* * * * *
Late that night one of the usual guards was stationed by the open doorway of his quarters. Nahton meditated, considered his options - and waited. He could not possibly overpower a trained guard.
The guard's collar comm pinged, and a crackle of orders burst through. 'Are you certain, sir? Acknowledged.' Glancing in at the green priest, the man left his post without offering any explanation to Nahton.
With anxiety chewing him up inside, the green priest went to the door and looked nervously into the hall. Guessing that this was part of Sarein and McCammon's plan, whatever it was, he bolted from his chambers. He had been in Estarra's conservatory several times, but not since the King and Queen had escaped. With his emerald skin and bright tattoos, scantily clad in the garb of a traditional green priest, Nahton could not be unobtrusive. Fortunately, at this time of night, few people roamed the Whisper Palace.
He did encounter a late-working bureaucrat who carried a stack of documents. The man blinked in amazement upon seeing him, but Nahton ducked down a corridor and picked up the pace. He bumped into a cleaning crew of four older women and a beak-nosed man. They stared at him as if they had never seen a green priest before. Someone would sound the alarm soon. He didn't have much time.
Running now, he ascended a set of stairs, bounded down an open corridor. His bare feet made slapping sounds on the cool tile, and a sense of urgency overwhelmed him.
At last he reached the dim conservatory, and he was still alone. Overhead, lights shone through the glass panels, reflecting the night sky. The place had a strange mixture of smells, loamy richness with caustic chemicals. He could see that something was wrong with the plants - the ferns, the flowers, the dwarf citrus trees. All the Theron botanical specimens had been uprooted and left to rot, like corpses on a battlefield.
Nahton paused to regain his balance. Caustic chemicals had been poured on the plants. This had been the Chairman's doing, a way to punish Queen Estarra by destroying something she loved. Such wilful devastation, the killing of all those delicate plants, seemed so spiteful, so… evil.
But the treeling… The treeling was still alive! Someone -Captain McCammon, perhaps - had placed the potted tree where it would receive sufficient light during the day. The fronds looked healthy, the thin gold-barked trunk was straight. He hurried forward.
Suddenly, he heard shouts from the hallway, and lights flared. Gruff, approaching voices called out. 'The treeling is in the conservatory. Hurry!'
Nahton ran to grasp the potted tree, touching the fronds even as he heard booted feet come running. In a rush of words, he spoke into telink. He told the little tree everything, warned of the impending attack on Theroc, explained how he had been held prisoner apart from his treeling. He poured his information into the worldforest mind so that all green priests had access to it, everywhere.
Royal guards burst into the room along with armed Palace security troops. Nahton recognized none of the men, none of the special guards that Captain McCammon regularly assigned to him. He picked up the potted treeling and held it in front of him. He did not want to relinquish it yet. It